Savannah courier. (Savannah, Tenn.) 1885-1979, 1887-02-10

tossed biscuit aboard of him. Owing
to the set of the tide or to some cross
current, he dropped down to us stern
first, while we lay broadside to the
beach. The stern of the junk was
pointed amidships of the steamer, and
our gun would rake his whole deck at
every discharge. At one o'clock two
men left her in small boat and went
ashore, and then forty or fifty armed
men came out of the hold and took
their stations on deck. A few had
muskets, but most of them carried
knives and sort of hand granada.
These bombs are filled with villain
Gus compound which is let loose as
they are broken, and the fumes are
more to be dreaded than bullet.
Their plan, as we solved it, was for an
attack on both sides of us at once. A
fleet would come out on us from the
shore and the junk would drift down
upon us at the same time. We had the
cable ready to slip, sent the engineerto
his post and then waited.
At about half-past one, while the tide
had yet half an hour to run, we saw the
shore boats make ready. AT least 200
natives were ready to come off. They
knew that the cook had drugged or
poisoned our coffee, and therefore sent
boat in advance of the fleet to see in
what shape we were. The boat came
up very softly and rowed twice around
us before the captain hailed and let
them know we were wide awake. Some
sort of signal was given from the boat,
and the fight opened at once. Just the
moment we saw the people on the junk
getting ready to drift her down upon
us we gave them the grape from the
six-pounder. They were not pistol-shot
away, with most of the men crowded
aft, and | verify believe that the one
discharge killed or wounded twenty
men. / was at that gun with two 9th
ers, and man armed with a carbine
was near us. He fired six or seven
shots while we were reloading, and
three or four musket-shots were fired
at us. Our second shot drove all who
were left alive below matches, and, be-
lieving that the carbneer could keep
them there, we ran the gun to the star
board side to beat off the boats.
1t was high time. While the first dis
charge of the gun had done for score
of them, they were reckless and des-
perate lot and would not retreat. They
were provided with bombs, spears,
blow guns and muskets, and the man
who was to sprinkle them with hot
water had been shot dead at their first
fire. As soon as we got our gun over,
some one picked up the nozzle of the
hose pipe and turned it loose on every
boat within reach. But for the hot
water the fellows might have carried
us by boarding, for 200 to 10 is big odds.
Such screaming and shouting and
shrieking as they INDUCED in when the
boiling hot water spattered over their
half-naked bodies was pandemonium
of itself, and all the time we kept play
ing on them with guns and the car
bines. The fight could not have lasted
over seven or eight minutes, and as
soon as they began to draw off ran
my gun to the port side, loaded with
shell, and sent the missile right
through the junk's stern. Half dozen
fellows rushed out of the hold and
jumped overheard, and | gave her two
more. When the third was fired there
was an explosion, probably of u barrel
of powder, which lifted her decks thirty
feet high and split her wide open. She
sank right there before our eyes, and
the walls of the wounded wretches who
fioated about for minute or two were
dreadful to hear.
Captain Tabor felt that such treach
cry as the natives had shown deserved
the severest punishment, and W,
turned both guns loose on the village
and fired forty or fifty shells. Wher
daylight came not n human being wa
in sight. Portions of the junk hat
been driven on the beach, and the ma
tives had fled and left every thing be
hind them. The sharks were probably
attracted to the spot by the sounds o
firing, and they certainly had ricl
feast. never saw them so thick be
fore nor since, and, as they iished VI
the bodies from the bottom around us
, three or four would seize and tug at
single one and quickly tear it to pieces
, was sent ashore with flag of truce
with four armed men to make it re
, spected, and on the sands | found tn
, body of one of our tiremen, and no
, far off that of our cook. After som
! hard work / induced the head man t.
come in out of the forest and talk +
| me. His name was Wung-Hang, an,
, a more humble man | never met. III
( laid it all to the people on the junk
: The natives among our crew had con
, spired with the fellows at Ke-Lung t
J secure passage aboard and over
, power us. When this game coul,
not be worked, owing to tn
: refusal of the captain to tax
S them, they followed on after us in tn
: junk, and found cheerful cooperate
: in old Wung-Hang, the trader. He dc
MED taking any part in the affair pei
e sonally, and added that he did his hes
1 to dissuade his people from making tn
e attack. His loss, according to his ow
e figures, was sixty odd killed, while a
< most every one else was wounded Q
scalded. Five men got ashore from tn
o junk, which had nearly fifty men aboar
e of her.
t We were in situation to take ever
r dollars worth of goods the old rascs
t had in his store-houses, but Capital
n Tabor had no intention of blasting HI